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The university received two pieces of good news during June. I want to highlight them, because both will have a significant impact on research at KU.
First, Bob Honea, former director of the National Transportation Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, arrived in Lawrence as the first director of our new Transportation Research Institute (TRI). Bob has a tremendous background and is exactly the sort of person we need to direct this important and timely initiative. KU has many existing strengths in this field and the TRI will help focus them on such issues as alternative fuels, efficient vehicles, and the social impacts of transportation. This work relates directly to one of the four future research directions for KU - the environment -- announced last fall.
Second, we received word that the Department of Defense appropriations bill for FY2007, which passed in the House and now awaits final action, contains funding for a new transmission electronic microscope (TEM) at KU. The bill provides $1 million for this essential piece of core research equipment, which will largely replace an aging and limited instrument. The new TEM will allow researchers to do microscopy at low temperatures, examining so-called "soft" samples, such as tissue and cells. The technology is a high priority for the Department of Defense because of its potential to develop highly sophisticated prostheses for injured veterans. It also has broad applications in nanotechnology, geology, chemistry, and cell biology/morphology related to vaccines and cancer. The TEM will be part of KU's Microscopy and Analytical Imaging Laboratory. We are still seeking additional funding of about $1 million, but we hope to install the microscope next spring.
The TRI and TEM are significant additions to KU's research capacity. They were funded with the assistance of members of the Kansas congressional delegation: Sen. Pat Roberts and Rep. Jerry Moran for the TRI and Rep. Dennis Moore for the TEM. We are grateful for their support, and will make the best possible use of these new resources.
Jim Roberts
Vice Provost for Research
